Three Democratic lawmakers are seeking answers from the real estate company owned by the family of President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner over its use of a program designed to help to foreign investors obtain U.S. visas.
In a Thursday letter to Kushner Companies President Laurent Morali, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said they were concerned that the real estate developer was using Jared Kushner's White House post to attract foreign investors through the EB-5 visa program.
"We are concerned about recent reports detailing Kushner Companies’ use of the EB-5 Regional Center program, especially in light of Jared Kushner’s role in the Trump administration and the potential for conflicts of interest," the letter reads.
Also at issue, the lawmakers said, are reports "that luxury developers have aggressively lobbied Congress to prevent reforms to the EB-5 program."
"Such lobbying appears intended to benefit luxury development projects like those built by Kushner Companies, and thus presents the appearance of a conflict of interest given Mr. Kushner’s new position in the administration," the letter reads.
Jared Kushner resigned as Kushner Companies' chief executive in January to serve in the White House. But he has retained a stake in the real estate company and other investments worth up to $600 million.
His sister Nicole Meyer, who took over the company after Kushner left, came under fire last month after she appeared to reference her family's White House connections during a presentation to potential investors in Beijing.
The New York Times reported last month that the Beijing-based immigration company Qiaowai had allegedly told clients that it was working on behalf of Kushner Companies and that Trump would ensure that their EB-5 visas were approved.